This application is based on, and claims priority to, Japanese Application No. 11-201767, filed Jul. 15, 1999, in Japan, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a repeater for connecting individual networks which together form a larger photonics network utilizing optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). More particularly, the present invention relates to a repeater which transmits an optical signal from a first network to a second network, and converts a bit rate and wavelength of the optical signal to that suitable for the second network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission systems are now under development to dramatically increase transmission capacity.
Moreover, it is intended to form an extensive photonics network by connecting different WDM transmission systems with each other. To achieve such a photonics network, various companies are developing optical add-drop multiplexers (OADM) for directly extracting and inserting an optical signal into an optical network, and optical cross-connects (OXC)for changing the path of an optical signal. For example, to provide a relatively reliable network configuration, an OADM or OXC could be used as a node in an extensive ring network.
In current WDM transmission systems in commercial use or that which will be put into practical use in near future, thirty-two (32) channels are multiplexed together, with 100 GHz signal channel space between the signals. Research and development will continue to increase the number of channels multiplexed together by narrowing the signal channel space and expanding the WDM signal wavelength band, to thereby greatly increase transmission capacity. For example, in future commercial systems, sixty-four (64) or one-hundred-twenty-eight (128) channels may be multiplexed together, and signal channel space may be narrowed to 50 GHz or 25 GHz.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional optical network. Referring now to FIG. 1, optical add-drop multiplexers (OADM) 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 form nodes along an optical transmission path consisting of an optical fiber. Optical signals in the optical network are wavelength division multiplexed together.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wavelength multiplexing process performed by each node 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4, where an optical signal at a specific wavelength is branched from the transmission path, and a different optical signal at the specific wavelength is inserted into the transmission path.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a variable wavelength filter 11, such as an acusto-optical tunable filter (AOTF), is used to insert an optical signal of a particular wavelength into the transmission path. A variable wavelength filter 12, such as an AOTF, is used by each node 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 to branch the particular wavelength from the transmission path.
The signal wavelengths and bit rate of the optical network in FIGS. 1 and 2 might be different from that of other optical networks. Therefore, there may be difficulties when connecting such optical networks having different signal wavelengths and bit rates together.
Currently, the internationally standardized WDM signal wavelength is established at 1.55 xcexcm band as the center frequency band with a channel space of 0.8 nm from 1535.8 nm, and at 195.2 THz in terms of the carrier frequency with a channel space of 100 GHz.
Currently, optical signal velocity (bit rate) is established at 2.5 Gb/s or 10 Gb/s, and manufacturers continue to develop an apparatus which can be connected to such signal velocities.
It is widely known that about three times the signal bit rate is enough for the signal frequency width. Therefore, when the bit rate is 10 Gb/s, the signal frequency width becomes about xc2x130 GHz.
In current systems, since the channel space is 100 GHz, the problem of crosstalk between adjacent channels will never be generated.
However, as indicated above, transmission capacity will be increased in future systems by increasing the number of channels (for example, to sixty-four (64) or one-hundred-twenty-eight (128)), narrowing the signal channel space(for example, to 50 GHz or 25 GHz) and expanding the WDM signal wavelength band. When the signal channel space is narrowed, a certain restriction will be given to the signal velocity (bit rate) from the point of view of signal frequency width.
If a special band compression technique is not introduced, the minimum signal channel space is assumed to become 100 GHz, for example, for 10 Gb/s and 25 Gb/s for 2.5 Gb/s.
Bit rate and wavelength when xc2xdxe2x80x3 of the ITU grid 100 GHz channel space is applied.
Under this technical background, it is assumed that optical networks with different signal bit rates and signal channel spaces will be proposed. For example, one optical network might have characteristics of 10 Gb/s, 32 channels, 100 GHz channel space, while a different optical network might have characteristics of 2.5 Gb/s, 128 channels, 25 GHz channel space.
With optical networks having such different characteristics, the following problems may be assumed.
For example, when a signal of 10 Gb/s is directly connected to the optical network of 25 GHz channel space, a problem is generated in which the crosstalk to the adjacent channel is generated by the signal frequency width of the signal of 10 Gb/s.
For example, when the optical network of 25 GHz channel space is connected to the optical network of 100 GHz, the signal might be changed to a signal which cannot be identified.
When connecting optical networks of different signal bit rate, there may be a mismatch in the signal velocity of the different networks.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus, such as an optical repeater, which transmits an optical signal from a first optical network to a second optical network having different associated wavelengths and bit rates, and converts wavelength and/or bit rate of the optical signal to that suitable for the second optical network.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The foregoing objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an optical repeater which includes a wavelength converter and a bit rate converter. The wavelength converter converts a wavelength of an optical signal from a first optical network to a wavelength of a second optical network. The bit rate converter converts a bit rate of the optical signal from the first optical network to a bit rate of the second optical network. The optical repeater transmits the optical signal from the first optical network to the second optical network at the converted bit rate and wavelength.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved by providing an optical repeater which includes: (a) a first optical coupler branching an optical signal from a node of a first optical network into a plurality of optical signals; (b) a plurality of optical filters extracting the plurality of optical signals, respectively; (c) a plurality of optical/electrical converters converting the extracted plurality of optical signals into a plurality of electrical signals, respectively; (d) a multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of electrical signals together into a multiplexed signal; and (e) a modulator modulating an optical signal of a specific wavelength with the multiplexed signal, the modulated optical signal being output to a node of a second optical network.
Further, objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an optical repeater which includes: (a) an optical/electrical converter converting an optical signal from a node of a first optical network into an electrical signal; (b) a demultiplexer demultiplexing the electrical signal into a plurality of electrical signals; (c) a plurality of optical modulators optically modulating a plurality of optical signals at specific wavelengths with the plurality of electrical signals, respectively, to produce a plurality of modulated optical signals; and (d) an optical coupler multiplexing the plurality of modulated optical signals together to produce a multiplexed signal which is output to a node of a second optical network.
Further, objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an optical repeater which includes: (a) a first optical coupler branching an optical signal from a node of a first optical network into a plurality of optical signals; (b) a plurality of optical filters extracting the plurality of optical signals, respectively; (c) a plurality of optical/electrical converters converting the extracted plurality of optical signals into a plurality of electrical signals, respectively; (d) a plurality of modulators modulating a plurality of optical signals of specific wavelengths with the plurality of electrical signals, respectively; and (e) a second optical coupler multiplexing the plurality of modulated optical signals together into a multiplexed signal which is output to a node of a second optical network.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved by providing an optical repeater which includes: (a) a first optical coupler branching an optical signal from a first optical network into a plurality of optical signals each having a wavelength and bit rate associated with the first optical network; (b) a plurality of optical filters extracting the plurality of optical signals, respectively; (c) a plurality of optical/electrical converters converting the extracted plurality of optical signals into a plurality of electrical signals, respectively; (d) a multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of electrical signals together into a multiplexed signal; and (e) a modulator modulating an optical signal with the multiplexed signal so that the modulated optical signal has a wavelength and bit rate associated with a second optical network and different from the wavelengths and bit rates of said plurality of optical signals, the modulated optical signal being output to the second optical network.
Further, objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an optical repeater which includes (a) an optical/electrical converter converting an optical signal from a first optical network into an electrical signal, the optical signal having a wavelength and bit rate associated with the first optical network; (b) a demultiplexer demultiplexing the electrical signal into a plurality of electrical signals; (c) a plurality of optical modulators optically modulating a plurality of optical signals with the plurality of electrical signals, respectively, to produce a plurality of modulated optical signals each being at a wavelength and bit rate associated with a second optical network and which are different from said wavelength and bit rate associated with the first optical network; and (d) an optical coupler multiplexing the plurality of modulated optical signals together to produce a multiplexed signal which is output to the second optical network.
In addition, objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an optical repeater which includes: (a) a first optical coupler branching an optical signal from a first optical network into a plurality of optical signals each at a wavelength associated with the first optical network; (b) a plurality of optical filters extracting the plurality of optical signals, respectively; (c) a plurality of optical/electrical converters converting the extracted plurality of optical signals into a plurality of electrical signals, respectively; (d) a plurality of modulators modulating a plurality of optical signals with the plurality of electrical signals, respectively, so that the plurality of optical signals are at wavelengths associated with a second optical network and which are different than said wavelengths associated with the first optical network; and (e) a second optical coupler multiplexing the plurality of modulated optical signals together into a multiplexed signal which is output to the second optical network.